Professors shouldn’t include attendance requirements for
students in their grading policies.

True, poor attendance usually manifests itself in low grades.
That should be punishment enough for skipping class. Professors
have no need to artificially lower students’ grades by
including attendance requirements.

Many professors use attendance requirements to make up for bad
teaching. If students aren’t coming to class, professors tend
to think the fault is with the students, not with their own
lecturing ability.

All a professor should do with grades is indicate the level of
mastery (or lack thereof) students have over the course material.
If a student can pass the course’s tests and complete the
assignments satisfactorily, his or her attendance is
irrelevant.

Enforcing class attendance leads many students to resent their
classes and to focus on the rituals of learning rather than the
learning itself.

Worse, though, are the many professors who create strict
attendance policies but don’t enforce them. Setting rules
that students aren’t expected to follow encourages them not
to take any of the class rules seriously.

Stringent attendance policies are just one of many ways
professors and universities perpetuate a high-school learning
environment.

But college students are adults, and professors should treat
them as such. Students don’t always make the best choices,
but part of the college experience is learning to make responsible
decisions and learning to face the consequences of those decisions.
This often requires a process of trial and error.

It is a student’s choice to come to college, yes, but
within that framework are several smaller decisions, such as
whether to go to a particular class.

Professors should trust students to make their own decisions and
to accept the consequences.

Focus on teaching students the knowledge and skills they are
here to learn. Don’t waste time and effort making
students’ decisions for them.
hello there & you too